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Home > Desert Oracle Radio > Breaking: Joshua Tree National Park employees furloughed, details emerging about park status during shutdown
Podcast: Desert Oracle Radio
Episode:

Breaking: Joshua Tree National Park employees furloughed, details emerging about park status during shutdown
Category: Society & Culture
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-10-01 16:05:54
Description:

Updated at 9:00 a.m.

We are receiving details from a Joshua Tree National Park source regarding details about the shutdown and the closure. We will continue to update this section as we receive them.

  • Superintendent Jane Rodgers is furloughed
  • Park gates will remain open
  • Fees will not be collected during the furlough
  • Donations to the park can be collected through the Joshua Tree National Park Association
  • Vault toilets will be maintained
  • Law enforcement will remain
  • Nursey will remain open
  • “Employee, visitor safety and resource protection remain priorities”
  • Public may continue to access portions of the park that would normally be open at night.
  • Any areas requiring a federal employee will remain closed
  • Twentynine Palms Visitor Center and Joshua Tree Visitor Center will be staffed and maintained by Joshua Tree National Park Association JTNPA
  • Construction on West Entrance will continue
  • Search and Rescue requests will be responded to
  • Fee staff that are exempted will remain to provide visitor services but they will not be collecting fees

Joshua Tree National Park Employees received notices late last night from the Department of the Interior stating that the National Park will commence with orderly shutdown activities starting this morning.

According to the text of the email obtained from a National Park Employee who wishes to remain anonymous, employees are granted up to four hours of orderly shutdown activities today, which can include the time required to receive their furlough notice, set up out of office messages and leave contact info for their supervisors. The notices were sent out via email and automated phone calls.

The email notice also says that employees must take computers or phones home with them and they are permitted to check their emails periodically to remain “apprised of any shutdown updates.” Employees can also use government issued tech to do things like apply for retirement.

Workers will receive an individualized notice of their status, which will either be a furlough or an exemption. A exemption can occur if the agency has what they call “non-lapsing funds” for the position. These are typically positions such as law enforcement.

Yesterday morning, national park employees received a email from the Department of the Interior warning them of the impending shutdown. It said that President Trump opposes a shutdown and that “Democrats are blocking this Continuing Resolution in the U.S. Senate due to unrelated policy demands.”

When asked how they felt about receiving the furlough warning, our source said that it was discouraging and that “the tone of it is very political, and as an employee I would rather see clear, neutral guidance on what a shutdown means for our work and for the public we serve.”

“A shutdown doesn’t just affect employees like me, it impacts visitors, local communities, and the broader trust people place in government services. I wish the focus were on stability and solutions, not blame. We just want to know that we can keep doing our work without interruption.” 

We will continue to report on this story as more information becomes available as the government starts up its shutdown procedures this morning.

The post Breaking: Joshua Tree National Park employees furloughed, details emerging about park status during shutdown appeared first on Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree.
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